Coming Home
by PineappleFairy69
Summary: After Giotto has left the Vongola and Alaude is having a bad time. But then he gets a hint of where Giotto might be hiding and leaves France in order to bring Giotto back home. But in Japan he notices Giotto has got a family now. What should he do? WARNING! Contains pairing Alaude x Giotto Also contains headcanons, OCs, fluff, romance and drama.
1. Prologue

**I hesitated a long time whether I should ulpoad the fanfiction or not, but then I decided to do so since there are so less fanfictions about AlaGio in the first place. The FF is about the time when Giotto leaves the Vongola and goes to Japan. Alaude went back to France, missing Giotto a lot. Then he gets a hint of a very good friend and travels to Japan in order to find Giotto, hoping that there love still has got a chance.**

 **CONTAINS:**

 **\- pairing Alaude x Giotto**

 **\- fluff**

 **\- romance**

 **\- drama**

 **\- headcanons (!)**

 **\- own characters (!)**

 **The FF is already finish completely, but I won't upload the whole thing at once since I first would like to make sure that there are actually some people interested in it.**

 **The prologue has been written by my friend and gave me the idea for the whole thing. All praise for it belongs to SkylarkPrincess18.**

 **Thank you very much!**

* * *

 _Dear Luc,_

 _I have arrived at my destination safely and without further problems. It is nice here and I get along with the natives pretty well. I am sorry that I cannot tell you more, but I don´t want him to find out my current whereabouts. It was hard enough for me to leave and I would not be able to do this if I was confronted with him. I could not even bear to write this letter to him, so in his place I am sending this to you. I know my motives are selfish and I am taking the easiest way instead of fighting but I was not able to continue as I did until now and my strength is at its end. Probably he will never forgive me for what I did. Leaving without any words after all we have gone through. Whenever I was close to him I felt at ease and I was able to enjoy the pleasures of life. I never thought it was possible to love a person that much. I would have given every single part of my soul to stay close to him. As you might know there have been circumstances that forced me to leave Italy and at first I thought about asking him to take me along to France. There I would be with friends, even if I had to give up a huge part of my life, my memories and all those things that were precious to me. I would have been with the one I love more than all of those memories I carry with me. But even if this dream was appealing it is impossible for me. France would still be too close to Italy and our enemy will surely have an eye on him. For his well-being and that of the people I love, I have to stay away and you might know how much this hurts. Currently I feel like I have betrayed all of them and this is what hurts me the most, since I never wanted to betray him. You know that he is a very special person, proud and independent and it had taken ages for him to heal the wounds in his heart and now I am ripping him apart again. I wish I could have been able to foresee this. I could have spared him from that pain._

 _Since I will try a new start here I will not be able to write you another letter, but I want you to know that meeting him has changed my life and my heart. Maybe I will find people dear to me at this place, but it will be nothing compared to my feelings for him. I think this is what you call true love and true love can only be found once during a life time.  
If he is asking you, tell him not to search for me. Giotto, the man that he loved, died on the journey. The loss of his friends, his home and his love broke his heart and he was not able to recover. The loneliness and the longing had been too strong and overwhelming. This name will never be mentioned again, because if it will, the broken heart will even kill the man that arrived here._

 _I am sorry for the trouble I am responsible for, but I've got an important request for you.  
Please take care of him as good as possible. I do not know his reaction to my doing but I would be at ease if you look after him as you did all those years even before we met.  
Maybe there will be another chance for us in another life. I would probably be a naïve girl from the country meeting this admirable man and interfering with his business in that open-hearted way he always was curious about. If I get this chance I promise to live solemnly for him. I would heal the wounds of this lifespan; I would accompany him to Paris or wherever he wants to go and I would be his support as he has been mine in this life. And maybe I would be able to give him what he deserves the most. Happiness._

 _I know that I am not in a situation to ask you for another request and even after all this time you probably know him better than I ever will, but please keep this letter a secret from him. I want him to think that I did not care about our goodbye; this will give him the chance to hate me and even though it hurts to think that he might hate me, I would prefer it over him suffering.  
Luc, I will never be able to stop loving this silent, intelligent and extraordinary man._

 _Please forgive me._

 _Giotto._


	2. Chapter 1

The brown haired French was just about to enter the room when he hesitated for a second. He could hear some noise from inside, however it was hard to think of what was going on. Finally he knocked on the door, but entered without waiting for a reaction and once he was inside he was sure he wouldn't have got one anyway.

The room looked rather messy which actually was a strange view since it normally was neat and clean. However now books, documents and papers were covering every inch of furniture and some of them were even lying on the floor. Actually Luc Barre should already have got used to this, but somehow he just couldn't. But with every day it was harder to believe in a change back to normal. After all already six years and a half had passed and sometimes Luc thought it got worse every day.

At some time a scent of Cognac had started to fill the air which actually was just another not normal thing. Inside his heart Luc knew that there was no solution to this problem and yet he just didn't want to give up on him and so he was looking after him every single day.

The younger blonde was sitting at his desk which actually should be a normal view, but since Luc Barre knew the other one pretty well he also knew that this behaviour was not normal at all. Besides him working himself literally to death it was also easy to see that the man was exhausted. He was looking rather pale and Luc was sure he had lost some weight together with some muscles. But the blonde's eyes were the worst since they were just empty now. Years before pride, strength and intelligence could have been seen in these blue cold eyes. Now this man obviously was a broken man.

Luc slowly approached closer, putting a cup of coffee on the desk. If the blonde had drunk much coffee before the incident he know was drinking twice as much.

„Alaude? It's already almost half nine. Don't you think you should let it be for today?" The older one wondered, warily examining the blonde, waiting for an aggressive reaction. And he didn't have to wait long. The blonde looked up and for a moment there was pure anger inside his eyes.

„Can you please just care for yourself? I believe I do myself know pretty well how much I can work." The blonde returned coldly before he took the cup without thanking the other one, taking a sip and then going on with his work.

„I'm just saying. You already worked until one last night and you started again at five or something. That's pretty much work and pretty less time to rest." He said, returning the rather cold look. Alaude almost broke his pen when he heard these words and again he glared at the man.

„None of your business. Could you be so kind to leave me alone now?" It was not a question but a strict order and Luc knew that he would start a fight if he kept on talking. So he just gave a low sigh and turned around. It almost broke his own heart to see Alaude like this and it was even worse that he couldn't do anything in order to ease the pain. Suddenly anger grew up inside him and he looked back at the blonde.

„He would be really upset if he knew you'd be working yourself to death." He said with a sad voice and then went towards the door when he just heart a loud breaking noice. Quickly he turned around and immediately noticed the broken cup and the spilled coffee on the floor. He lifted his eyes and looked at the blonde who was glaring into the distance. In his eyes there was just pain and Luc knew he had pulled the wrong trigger.

„Alaude … I am sorry." He said with a low voice, simply regretting what he had done. Of course he knew that talking about him was the wrong way, after all it worsened Alaude's condition extremely. Probably he just had given him another reason to empty a Cognac bottle. However sometimes the blonde just made him so angry he really had to pull himself together and now he just hadn't been able to stay calm any longer.

Luc felt guilty. He knew that he had made it worse instead of helping Alaude and actually he had really promised to look after him, but he was just not really able to deal with the situation. The blonde had always been like a son for him although they originally had once said that this relationship would just exist on the paper. But it was hard not to care for him as less as for a boss and so Luc had just given in and although Alaude didn't know he always had seen a son inside him. To see him in such a bad condition really made Luc suffer as well and now he had made it much worse.

„Please just go now." Alaude finally said with a hushed voice and Luc was sure the man would probably get himself drunk now. He slowly shook his head. He just had to stop this. It was probably time to show him the letter. After all he actually deserved to know the truth and maybe the lines were able to help him to deal with the situation.

„Alaude, please come with me. I need to show you something." He said softly and came closer in order so place a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

„I'd like to be alone now." Alaude returned emotionless, but Luc didn't stop bothering the other one.

„Please, Alaude, you should come with me. This is very important." The brown haired French lightly pressed the other one's shoulder and finally Alaude nodded lightly.

„Whatever." He mumbled and slowly got up, looking like an old exhausted man.

Together they went to Luc's room where the older one went to his working desk which looked more neat than the blonde's at the moment. Luc Barre sat down and gave Alaude a short look.

„Please, you need to promise me something. Don't be angry I kept this a secret for so long. But I wasn't sure whether this would help you or worsen everything." Alaude gave him a sceptic look but then he nodded silently and Luc opened a panel at the desk's front, revealing a small lock. He quickly took a necklace from his neck and pushed the small key that was hanging from it into the lock. Slowly he opened the secret drawer and took a very small box that had been hidden inside. Alaude gave him a questioning look.

„What is this?" He wondered while Luc opened the box with a three numbers code.

„I do also have stuff which is not meant for everybody." He answered and took a letter from the box. „I am very sorry I didn't give you this long ago, but he asked me to keep it a secret from you and first I thought it was better, but now I am not that sure any longer." With these words he handed over the letter to Alaude who looked at it in disbelief and fear.

„He wrote you a letter?" He asked with a croaked voice and finally unfolded the paper with shaky hands in order to start reading.

Luc meanwhile kept a wary eye on the blonde and waited for a reaction. He just didn't know how else he could make everything easier for Alaude. Maybe it would help the man to accept everything and if not than Luc at least had tried it.

Silence dominated the moment until Alaude looked at Luc again and for a second Luc got scared about the look in Alaude's eyes. There was no anger there was just pain and it almost seemed as if the man would start to cry any second.

„Alaude? Is everything alright?" Luc asked cautiously.

„I … I just have to find him." Alaude suddenly said while Luc's eyes widened.

„You want to search for him? You think this is a good idea?" Luc wondered. He was not sure whether this would just make anything even more complicated and worse. After all there obviously had been a reason for the happenings and maybe Alaude would just open old wounds. Probably it would be worse for the blonde French because who knew what had happened in the time being and Luc didn't want him to be disappointed again. Alaude's heart probably wouldn't be able to deal with that.

„Luc, please. I just need to know why he has just left me without even leaving at least a note behind." Alaude almost begged, unsettling the other one.

„Don't you want to think this over?" He started another try already believing that it had been a bad idea to show Alaude the letter.

„Luc, please. You have to help me."

Luc hesitated and looked at Alaude in surprise and disbelief. Never in his whole life this man had asked for help so directly. He felt the pain inside his own heart becoming worse and then slowly pushed the box which had included the letter closer to Alaude.

„Inside this box you'll find all the information I have been able to collect so far. I thought I could maybe find out his location, but it seems like I wasn't able to. You know him much better than I do so maybe you'll be able to get something from these information." He said while Alaude already took the box, keeping it in his arms like a precious thing. „But, Alaude, please promise me you won't do anything blindfolded. If you'll find something out come to me first."

The blonde just nodded and turned around. There was a new fire inside his eyes.

„I promise you I will. Thank you, Luc." he said and finally left the room, while Luc stayed behind wondering whether he had made the right decision.


	3. Chapter 2

When Giotto got up in the morning he still felt tired and exhausted. He had slept pretty bad as almost, having bad dreams and being awake for hours during nighttime. In the beginning he had been sure he would be able to get used to this, but now he wasn't sure about this any longer. It was a curse, his punishment and he would have to live with it forever. Probably he would never be able to stop thinking about what had happened and so by the time-being he was literally burnt out. There was no energy and life left inside his heart and he felt like an empty vessel.

In the beginning he had tried to ignore this feeling. He had tried to become happy again and he had met a rather interesting woman. Not even one year later they had married and now he even had a son, but he had realized that this was more a fake life than reality. He had tried to become happy so desperately that he hadn't realized nothing of this was actually true and that all his feelings just had been pretended. They weren't real.

He felt sorry for the woman, because probably she actually had wished for a nice and loving husband, but now she had gotten a sad and broken one that was not able to feel anything any longer.

First he had been sure that his own son would be able to restore his feelings and to bring back love in his life, but even the small boy was not able to do so. When Giotto looked at him he felt as if he was looking at a stranger. They had nothing in common.

And so Giotto's condition had become even worse and the worst thing was that no one in this place realized in what a terrible condition the man actually was. He was racked with guilt and somehow the pain inside his heart grew stronger every day. He also missed his homeland although he liked Japan, but somehow it never had become his home. It was as strange as his own son was. And then there was this memory that would almost kill him every single time when he was thinking about it. A memory about a special person, the only one he had actually ever loved and the only person he knew that had always and absolutely loved him as well. He had been such a fool to leave him and although he thought of the pain inside his heart as a deserved punishment it always made him suffer to think about the blonde French.

Every day he wondered about his well-being and about what he was doing. Sometimes he had such extreme nightmare scenarios in his mind that he would almost go crazy, trying to comfort himself by thinking of what a nice life the French probably had right now. But that made Giotto sad again, because it would mean that Alaude would have forgotten him and how could he forget their love? It was a vicious cycle and in the end Giotto would actually start to cry silently most of the times. These thoughts slowly were killing him and he just hoped and prayed that Alaude was in a better condition than himself.

The blonde man sighed and tried to get rid of the thoughts he was having just right now and slowly got dressed before he went to the kitchen in order to have his breakfast. When he entered the room he saw his four year old son who got up in order to leave the room. His mother did not stop the boy from doing so and neither did Giotto who silently ate a little bit just in order to keep himself alive.

Afterwards he drank some green tea. He actually didn't like the bitter scent of the tea since he actually preferred sweetened drinks, but somehow he had become used to it. It reminded him of the bitterness of his own life and so he kept drinking it without any complaints. Additionally he didn't want to disappoint his wife even more. And so he did not only drink the tea every morning but also agreed to anything his wife asked him to do and although nothing pleased him or made him happy at all he also did all these thing without any complaints.

He didn't even wonder about the daily plans his wife had he just cooperated with them and so he kept on living every single day like an empty puppet, waiting for life to finally shatter him to pieces so he could get a real rest.


	4. Chapter 3

Giotto waited in a distance for his wife and son which were praying at the shrine. Somehow it always felt wrong when praying there as well since he was Christian and neither Shinto nor Buddhist and so he always stayed away while his family was praying at the shrine. In the beginning he had made his prayers from at home. He had prayed for his friends and their well-being and mainly he had prayed for him, desperately begging for his safety. But his wife hadn't liked seeing Giotto praying at home like that and since their son had been born she had asked Giotto to stop doing it. The blonde of course had cooperated as always and so he had stopped praying to God although he sometime still was begging to him in his thoughts, hoping that although he had betrayed so many people God would fulfill his selfless wishes.

Absorbed in these sad and painful thoughts it took him quite a while to notice the feeling his hyperintuition awakened inside him. He noticed the feelings of his family and of the people around him, but there actually was one person which made him hesitate. It actually was not a person he didn't know. In fact he knew the person pretty well and for a second his heartbeat got faster. But there was also something that made him hesitate. There was something unusual about this person, something that wasn't normal, making him believe his first thought had actually been totally wrong. Giotto could feel uneasiness, sadness, hesitation, insecurity and an actually weak self-confidence.

The hope that had been woken inside his heart immediately died again. This could never be the person he first had thought of. Probably it was just a coincidence. After all there was no reason and mainly no chance this could actually be true. Besides these strange feelings surrounding the person didn't fit at all. It had just been imagination.

Suddenly Giotto's wife and son returned from the pray and at the almost same time the presence of this person faded away, leaving behind an even more suffering Giotto. He looked at his family with empty eyes, making the little boy pressing closer to the woman what made him suffer even more. But his wife didn't hesitate for long and pulled her son with her in order to leave the shrine. She didn't even look after Giotto, but kept on walking since her husband always directly came after her like an old will-less dog.

And of course as always Giotto did follow her like that through the streets of the small town in order to go back to their house which was at the edge of the city. On their way some people looked at him and as always they started to whisper while he was passing. Another fact that made him feel like a stranger forever and also another fact that made him feel sorry for his wife. Being able to feel their antipathy and sometimes even disgust for him and his wife should have probably made him angry, but in fact he didn't feel anything. He knew that, for the native people, he was just looking and behaving so strangely that sometimes he actually felt sorry for disturbing the peace in town. Probably it would be best for all of them if he'd just die soon enough.

While having such dark thoughts suddenly his hyperintuition activated itself again and he stopped following his wife confusedly. Again there was this feeling of the presence of a very well-known person and again there were feeling surrounding this person that didn't suit him at all. However this time he also had the clear feeling that this person was actually watching him.

He looked around irritated but he couldn't find a strange person observing him. He didn't even find a person that looked suspicious. But then he could see a movement and noticed a person quickly disappearing in an alley and at the same time the presence of the well-known but strange person fainted away. This made Giotto surprisingly anxious and he was about to move on in order to follow the person when he heard his wife's voice calling for him. But he just slowly shook his head and went away without any further explanations. The more he thought about it the more he was sure that he had to find this person and at the same time angst started to fill his heart. He needed to find this person it was his only wish and desire and while these new feelings started to awaken his heart he also started to trust his hyperintuition again in order to find the person.

He went through the streets of the small city always following the presence of this well-known stranger and while he was following him he started to walk faster and fast until he started to run. He could feel his heartbeat and his breath becoming faster and driven by a mixture of angst and hope he stopped looking where he actually went, finally bumping into a black dressed man that appeared in front of him.

He almost lost his balance and just did not fall over because he desperately grabbed the other one's arm who did not stumble at all.

"Please, excuse my rudeness." Giotto looked around hounded and was about to go ahead when he realized that the presence he had been looking for was much closer than he had thought. He was actually just in front of him. Irritated he tried to look at the face of the man which was hidden under a large hat and dark toned glasses. But what confused Giotto much more was the fact that the man's hair was black.

"I … am sorry." Giotto slowly repeated, closely examining the man who just shook his head and was about to leave again, but Giotto didn't want him to get away that quickly. Right now the feeling that he knew this person was so strong that he feared his heart would explode at any moment. There was so much he knew about him, so much that felt so familiar and he could feel the person's feelings going wild since he had bumped into him.

Quickly Giotto took the hand of the man in order to keep him from leaving him alone and when he touched his skin, his soft hand, he had no doubts any longer. Although both their feelings where fuzzy and messy they were in tune and Giotto could feel the deep affection and a longing from this person that awakened all the feelings that he had believed had actually died long ago.

"Alaude?" He asked with a soft insecure voice and lifted a shaky hand in order to take off the hat and the glasses. The man did not stop him from his doing and when Giotto was finish he looked into two well-known icy blue eyes that were watching him with a heartbreaking sadness.

Giotto's eyes widened in shock when he realized that the man in front of him really was Alaude. Although he looked paler and extremely exhausted and curiously enough had black hair it still was him for real.

The blonde Italian lost hold of the hat and the glasses in his hand and both fell to the ground where the glasses broke immediately. Then he took a step back as if he was not sure if he should be actually scared or glad to see his former Cloud Guardian and lover.

"Hello, Giotto." Alaude said with a soft but emotionless voice, making the other one shiver slightly for a moment. Giotto was not sure how to deal with this situation. A part of his heart awakened and was screaming in joy, but then on the other side he felt caught and insecure. Alaude's appearance would make anything more difficult. This was just not right. But then on the other side he felt as if he was finally waking up from a really bad dream and being called by his former name was the key that broke him free.

These blue eyes, the gentle hands and his soft voice, he had missed all of it so much and now he was here right in front of him. He looked at him spoke to him and his presence comforted Giotto more than anything else on this earth and so the Italian gave into his feelings and just quickly leaned closer, wrapping his arms around the taller one and pressing himself to the always warm body.

Alaude hesitated for a moment when Giotto suddenly pressed himself so close and for a moment he even thought about pushing the man away again, but then the feelings overwhelmed him and he couldn't resist wrapping his arms around him in order to keep him close.

For a while they stayed like this until Alaude gently freed himself in order to look at Giotto once again and there he could see some light tears glancing in Giotto's orange eyes and he started to feel guilty. It never had been his intention to make Giotto sad or to mess with his life. First he had just wanted to look for him in order to ask him a lot of questions, mainly why he had actually left him just like that, and of course in order to see him again. In order to have him by his side again. But he quickly had realized how selfish these thoughts were and then we had realized that Giotto had got a family he was sure that it would be best to just leave Giotto again without revealing himself to the Italian. However of course Giotto's hyperintuition had noticed him and Giotto had found him. And now it wasn't possible to avoid a confrontation anymore. He sighed lowly and looked away since he knew it would be harder for him when looking into Giotto's eyes that always would awaken his emotions.

"Giotto, please. We shouldn't make it any more difficult." He started with a silent voice, still avoiding eye contact.

"What are you trying to say?" Giotto asked frightened. He already knew that his heart probably wouldn't be able to deal with the man leaving him alone.

"I guess I've made a big mistake. I shouldn't be here after all." Alaude went on, still not looking into the catchy eyes of the man he still loved.

"Where should you be then?" Giotto asked after a pause of silence while examining Alaude warily. He was so happy to see Alaude again, mainly to see him still alive, although it probably would be wrong to say that the tall man wasn't hurt. Of course there were no visual wounds, but Giotto knew that the man's heart had been ripped apart when he had left him. And this actually scared him. He had hurt the man pretty badly and from the day on he had made the decision to leave he had been scared to meet the French again someday. He had been sure that Alaude would hate him for everything and Giotto knew that he wouldn't have been able to stand being hated by the one he loved and yet his hyperintuition just felt regret surrounding the once proud man.

"I don't know." Alaude responded slightly discouraged. "But I certainly shouldn't be here. I am sorry. It was not my intention to mess up with your new life. Luc was right. I shouldn't have left Paris in order to look for you." Still avoiding eye contact Alaude slowly turned away. He had been such a fool. Until now he hadn't really realized what it would actually mean for Giotto if he suddenly showed up. And additionally he never had thought of what a life the Italian would probably live right now. He never would have dreamt of him having a family, a wife and also a son. A son. Alaude couldn't believe it and yet it of course was logical. Why should Giotto have kept living his old life. He actually had written it in his letter to Luc, but Alaude had just ignored it. He was such a selfish bastard. He had absolutely no right to destroy Giotto's life. He was just about to leave when Giotto again held him back.

"Alaude, you cannot just leave me like that." He begged with a teary voice. "You cannot just show up and then leave me again. At least look at me once." Alaude froze when he heard Giotto's voice realizing the injured sound in it and he finally looked into his eyes, knowing that he now wouldn't be able to leave the man just like that. And when he looked into the man's eyes he was shocked to see how dead they were looking. There was no warmth and joy left inside them and Giotto's expression was emotionless. They were both broken and lost and close to the edge of death because of all the suffering and pain they've endured during the last years.

"I didn't know you suffered that much." He suddenly said placing both hands on Giotto's cheeks. "I am so sorry I wasn't able to help you back there."

Giotto lightly shook his head, still looking at Alaude.

"Please do not apologize for something that was not your fault. I just left you without at least saying goodbye. I let you down. I betrayed you. I betrayed all of them." It was easy to see that Giotto was trying to hold back his tears. Confronted with his past he just couldn't handle it any longer. He had tried to forget it so badly and he had never succeeded, but right now all the memories came back to his mind as clear as if they had been happening yesterday.

"You're too hard to yourself. Nothing that happened back then was your fault. I understand you couldn't stand staying there any longer." The French tried to comfort his love with gentle words. In fact he really had been able to understand why Giotto had left the Vongola and Italy. He just never had been able to understand why he hadn't talked about it to him.

"Alaude, why? Why do you not hate me? What are you doing here? Is it a punishment?" The Italian wondered not being able to control his own feelings any longer.

Alaude was looking at him attentively. It almost broke his heart once more seeing Giotto like this and Alaude wondered if the man actually was in a much worse condition than himself.

"I just missed you, Giotto. I missed you so much." He finally whispered while still observing the other one who now wasn't able to hold his tears back any longer. Silently they were rolling down his cheeks and although Alaude tried to wipe them away with his thumbs he wasn't fast enough after all.

"Alaude, I never wanted to hurt you. This was not my intention." Giotto said with a shaky voice. He wasn't sure any longer if he was just crying because of pain or of relief. He was here. The only one he actually had ever loved was here and he didn't hate him. He wasn't even angry. He had just missed him.

"Giotto, please, I know this never was your intention, but please calm down." The smaller one just nodded silently and tried to get a hold of himself again. However it took him quite a while until he felt better and had stopped crying.

For a while they both were silent until Alaude slowly withdrew his hands.

"Giotto, I am really sorry. I swear I didn't mean to mess up with your new life. I was just so desperate to know how you're doing." The French finally broke the silence.

"You don't have to apologize. I just never dreamt of you showing up her one day. I thought I'd never see you again." He silently answered. "And I honestly do not know how to deal with this right now."

"I do understand. This must be really hard for you. I'm sorry for putting you in such a situation. It honestly was not my intention." The taller man apologized again, making Giotto sigh lowly. "Do you want me to leave?"

As Alaude thought Giotto quickly shook his head as an answer, but although he had thought so he somehow was glad that his beloved didn't want him to go. And yet Alaude felt guilty. He felt as if he was just about to ruin a family and to ruin more than just one life. He never had expected himself to be so selfish.

"Giotto, I just cannot tear a family apart. I'm really in no position to do this. Though I also know that it is unfair to leave the decision up to you. And yet I just also do not know how to deal with this situation." The French sighed, looking tortured. "Luc was right. He already saw this coming, but I didn't listen to him. I never do although he's such an intelligent man."

"Did he also tell you what we should do when being caught in this situation?" Giotto wondered, giving the other one a sad look. But Alaude just shook his head.

"No, but he gave me a letter for you." He responded and pulled a slightly rampaged letter from his jacket, offering it to the blonde.

Giotto hesitated for a second before taking the letter from Alaude. He was scared. Luc had always been a good friend of him, but he knew that he had also betrayed him and since Luc loved Alaude like a son Giotto was sure that the man was not that well-disposed towards him at the moment. Probably Luc just asked him to leave Alaude alone and maybe he was right. It was up to him to decide now and if he broke the French's heart once more it would probably kill him and he had no right to do something like that. He had no right to be selfish once more.

With shaky hands he finally opened the letter and started to read it, well aware of the fact that its content would be more than just a simple greeting. It would relieve him of the decision he had to make.


	5. Chapter 4

**Well, first of all I'd really like to thank HibarixTsunaxlover for the review on the story :)**

 **Therefore I decided to upload some more chapters. Hope you'll like how the story proceeds.**

 **Let's see whether they'll get their happy end ;)**

 **However just let me tell you guys that the next chapters might include some not logical aspects. I really tried to keep it as realistic as possible and did a lot of research, but sometimes it's just hard too keep everything real. Hope you'll like it nevertheless!**

* * *

 _Dear, well how should I adress you?_

 _In your letter you said you didn't want to make use of your former name any longer so I also won't write it in this letter._

 _However since you are reading this letter right now I fear that Alaude has been successful in finding you. I know this doesn't sound pretty nice, please do not get me wrong, but when he wanted to leave I tried to hold him back, because I thought both of you wouldn't be able to deal with meeting each other. Am I right?_

 _I hope you will forgive my harsh words that can be found in this letter, but I believe that it will be better to tell you the truth since I know that Alaude won't._

 _You know, I really do have to admit that when I received your letter and read it for the first time I was really angry. You always knew that Alaude needs a lot of time to open up to other people and after his painful past I thought he had finally been able to find someone to trust without condition. He had changed in such a positive way and I just wished the both of you happiness and peace, because you both had deserved it, but then you just left and you took a huge part of Alaude's heart with you. He was a broken man._

 _It hurt me so much to see him like this and I really feared for his life not just one time. But although you had hurt him so much he never hated you once and when I was actually speaking bad of you one time he totally lost it. I was almost fascinated by the love he still had left for you and when I read your letter again I knew that, although you had hoped for him starting to hate you, he'd never actually be able to do this._

 _So I in fact stopped to be angry at you as well, though I honestly never had been able to understand your motives. You both loved each other so much. In fact I believe you were made for each other, because I've never seen two people being in such perfect tune like the both of you. And yet you threw it all away although you were just about healing each other's soul._

 _Were you honestly believing that it would be better for the both of you if you left? I can understand you feared for Alaude's safety. I fear for it everyday. But yet he is such a strong man you must have known that he would be fine and that he would be able to protect you. He could have even brought you to America if France would still be too close to Italy for you. He would have done anything for you. Was that actually what you feared?_

 _Whatever it was you really feared, I realized something by the time being and it actually is making your decision to leave even more incomprehensible to me. You loved him too, didn't you? I know you did. He actually must have been a soulmate to you. So how could you just leave him like that? Did you not just tear your own heart apart as well? I always thought of you as a very wise man and I still do, so I hope you will think about your decision this time more wisely._

 _Please do not get me wrong and again excuse the harsh words I'm using, but I know that during your time in Italy you always put your own feelings and needs second in line and unlike Alaude you never did what you actually really wanted._

 _In our letter you asked me to do two things. The first one was not to show the letter to Alaude. I have to admit that I did not succeed in doing so, however I didn't show him the letter for at least six whole years. Your second request was that I should look after Alaude and I promise you I did my best so far. Otherwise the man you knew would already be dead. Yet, I will have to break this promise as well in order to be able to now make my own request._

 _In fact I should ask you to not break Alaude's heart any more, but I fear you will make the wrong decision if I'm making this request. So actually I want you to do what you want. This might sound weird right now, but like I did not question your requests I hope you also won't question mine._

 _So please, just listen to your heart for once and choose the path it is longing for. Nothing but your heart can make such important decisions for you. You should trust it._

 _Your friend Luc_

Giotto looked up when he had finally finished reading the letter and he directly looked into Alaude's icy blue eyes. The tall man didn't say anything but Giotto noticed the questioning look in his eyes and he also felt the insecurity surrounding him.

He just wanted to tell him how sorry he was for what he had done to him. Luc's harsh words hadn't failed their goal, because Giotto felt more guilty than ever before and he also felt silly. He had been such a fool not to think in a realistic way of what he was going to do. Instead of choosing the right path he had taken the easiest one and in fact this decision had also just been bad for him as well. He felt terrible and realizing now what a harsh time Alaude must have gone through strengthened this terrible feeling.

For a moment Giotto closed his eyes in order to try to follow Luc's request, listening to his heart, but there actually was only one thing he could do and he knew that it would be the right decision for both their sakes.

"Please, Alaude. Take me with you."

The icy blue eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

"But, don't you have a family?" Alaude asked with a low voice not really sure if he should trust this decision.

Giotto hesitated for a second, but then he nodded and the French could see some tears glancing in his eyes again.

"I am not happy here. And my family doesn't really seem to be family at all. They do not really care for me and I fear my son is even scared of me." The blond kept looking into the blue eyes of the taller man. "Please, take me with you. I am not happy here and I never will become happy. The only time I've really felt something like happiness was when I was with you. So please, Alaude, don't leave me here. I know I've hurt you much and I am really sorry for what I've done, but please take me with you. That is my only desire."

Alaude watched Giotto in silence, listening to his words while attentively looking into his eyes. For a moment Giotto thought the man would never say or do something or even worse he would just leave him right her, but then the French stepped forward and pulled the smaller one into an embrace.

"I'll take you with me. I promise."


	6. Chapter 5

Giotto sat in his garden nearby the little pond where two kois were swimming inside. But his orange eyes didn't follow the two fish as normally, instead they were directed at the little thing that he carried inside his hand. It was a little box. A box that had been given to him by Alaude three days ago.

After he had asked the French to take him along Alaude had recommended that it shouldn't be an option to just leave Japan secretly. Instead it probably would be fairer and safer to fake his death. Like that Giotto wouldn't end this part of his life like the first time and everything would be clearer. Then probably no one would ever be able to find trace of him again and he would be able to spent the rest of his life in peace.

After Giotto had accepted to this he had to wait for one more month until Alaude had finally been able to finish all the organization. It had been hard for Giotto to keep living as he had done before because he felt his heart finally being alive again and he was just looking forward to be able to spent his time with the one he loved, but he had been able to manage everything and now it was time.

Giotto was not scared and neither did he feel regret and yet he felt anxious. He didn't really know much about Alaude's plan, just that he should take what was inside the box. Everything else shouldn't be of his concern. It was not that he didn't trust Alaude, but in fact it made him nervous that he didn't know what was going to happen and he hoped that nothing would go wrong.

He sighed and opened the little box, examining the pill that was inside. He didn't knew what kind of pill that was, but he assumed it was some sort of medication. What he knew was that it was his task to take the pill and that it would be his last task for a while. He took the pill from the box and putting it in one of his pockets. There would be not return.

Giotto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, revealing a little smile. Now everything would be fine. And with these happy and light thoughts he took the pill and swallowed it at once. For a second he couldn't feel anything but then everything was spinning and his body felt extremely heavy. He lost his balance and fell into the soft grass where he kept lying until everything became black. Before he finally lost consciousness his last thoughts belonged to a certain man and he hoped that he knew what he was doing.


	7. Chapter 6

Only an hour later the doctor had confirmed the death of the blonde Italian. They had called the funeral director and he had taken care of the corpse and prepared it for the nightwatch. Therefore his body was washed and dressed in the traditional white garment and his body was laid out inside the house, his head pointing to north. Some flowers were also placed nearby however Giotto's wife didn't ask for a Buddhist monk since her husband hadn't been that much into their religion still believing in his own weird god.

She actually would have done the funeral without more traditions if possible, but people would have talked if she wouldn't have done the ceremony correctly and so she had decided to at least fulfill some of the expectations.

The woman hadn't really many relatives besides her own mother left and since her son was still too young she asked the funeral director to take care of the nightswatch. In the morning some friends and neighbours came by in order to give the woman some money gifts and to bid farewell to the blonde, although all of them just did that because of politeness. None of them actually had really cared about the stranger from the west and so the ceremony was rather emotionless. In the end Giotto was put in the coffin in which he should be brought to the crematory.

Once the carriage stopped in front of the crematory four man came and took the coffin from the loading space. They carried it inside the house and while the woman, her son and her mother waited in the first room the four man brought the coffin to another one and placed it there on top of a large open fireplace in the middle of the room.

The funeral director came inside and adressed one of the four man.

"You know what to do right? Please let me know as soon as it's finish. Then I'll bring the family in order to take the bones from the ash."

"Of course, as you wish." The black haired man said while the other three left again.

"You know, it's such a pity this is your last day here. You've been a very good man, thank you very much for the good work."

"The pleasure was all mine. Thank you for giving me the chance to work."

The funeral director just nodded and then went back to the small family in order to stay with them.

As soon as he had left the room the black haired man shifted his icy blue eyes towards the coffin. He examined it for a second then he took a deep breath and went over to a small door which he opened. Inside the room a couple of different tools and things were stored. He shoved some tools aside until he found a bag which he quickly took from the small room. He went over to the coffin and opened the back, revealing a larger empty bag, two smaller boxes and a prybar. Although the bag didn't seem to be empty yet he put it aside and took the prybar which he used to open coffin.

Alaude took a second in order to examine the blonde man who was laying inside, looking as if he was really dead, but he knew he was not. He took Giotto's wrist in order to check the pulse and when he was sure he felt the heartbeat he finally took the blonde out of the coffin and placed him on the floor.

The French quickly undressed the blonde and put the white clothes inside the coffin. Then he took some cheap brown cotton clothes from the bag and carefully dressed Giotto with those. Afterwards he took the still full bag and emptied it inside the coffin so it was filled with a lot of different bones. These were pig bones Alaude had bought from the butcher since he knew that in the Japanese culture it was tradition to take the bones of the dead from the ashes in order to put them in an urn. This urn then was placed inside the house during the followed time of mourning.

Of course Alaude felt sorry and a little bit guilty for tricking these people with mere pig bones but he just didn't now how to fake this part in another way. He quickly closed the coffin again and prepared it to be burnt as he had learned it during the last month. At first it had been hard work to convince the funeral director to give him a job since his Japanese wasn't that good after all, but he had told the man he was a traveler looking for work in order to continue his travels and after a while the funeral director had accepted to give him a job. This job would actually end today together with Giotto's life in this land and by tomorrow they both should already be on a ship. But for now Alaude still had some work to do.

He again turned towards Giotto and checked the man's pulse once more. Then he opened one of the small boxes and took an injection and a very small bottle alcohol from it. First he used the alcohol in order to disinfect Giotto's arm then he gave him the injection. This would strengthen his body a bit and keep him down for another little while since Alaude thought it would be better if Giotto first woke up when they already had left Japan.

After giving the blonde the injection Alaude opened the second small box in which a black powder was. Quickly but thoroughly he started to dye Giotto's blonde her black by using the coal he had also used for his own hair. If someone would stop them now the chance would at least be a bit lower that someone recognized Giotto at first sight.

When he also finished dying Giotto's hair Alaude quickly put everything back into the bag except for the bigger one which he know took. He carefully started to put the sleeping man inside this large bag and then closed it with a short piece of rope.

"This is only for a little while. Everything will be over soon, I promise." he said with a low voice and looked at the already burning coffin. However another tricky part already awaited him, since he had to hide Giotto somewhere until the evening.

Carefully he picked up the man inside the bag and went over to the storage room in which he placed the bag with the man inside. He also left the small bag with the empty boxes and the prybar inside there. Then he closed the door. For now he would have to do his job here and he had to hope that the funeral director would not come here to get any necessary tools by himself though during the last week Alaude always had to do all these things for him. Hopefully there wouldn't be a change at his last day.

It was already night when Alaude returned to the crematory. Just about two hours ago he had said goodbye to the funeral director, but there was still something he had to do. Giotto was still laying in the storage room inside the crematory and Alaude had to hurry up when he wanted to get to the harbor in time.

He quickly took the picklock from his pocket and opened the lock from the front door. Luckily it was already so dark that it probably was hard to see him since he was wearing black clothes and a black hat.

Once the lock was open he entered the small crematory and made his way through the rooms to the storage room. He opened it and immediately saw the large bag with the Italian inside. He carefully took him out of the storage room and placed him on the floor in order to open the bag so he could check Giotto's pulse and the breath. Luckily the man was still asleep and it didn't seem like he'd wake up any time soon, so Alaude closed the bag again and placed the rather light body on his shoulder in order to carry him outside.

Once he was outside he closed the door and then quickly went away and disappeared in the next alley, carrying the unconscious Giotto on his shoulder.

When he finally arrived at the harbor it was already almost early morning. After all the city in which Giotto had lived in didn't have a harbor and so Alaude had to carry Giotto to the next town which took him quite a while. However as Alaude had planned it was still dark when he arrived there and he directly went towards the ship where two man were standing smoking cigarettes.

"Ah, it's you. You are late." One of them greeted Alaude and threw away the rest of his cigarette.

The French stopped in front of the two men and simply nodded.

"I am sorry. It took me a little bit longer than I thought. May I go on board?" He asked and watched the two men who examined the bag over his shoulder warily.

"I think you will not tell us what you brought with you." The man wondered, scratching his beard.

"Our deal was no questions." Alaude simply returned. "You'll get the rest of your money once we arrive at our destination."

"Sure thing. And we'll also keep our promise not to enter your room. Fair enough. After all you've given us enough money." The man chuckled. "You must be crazy to pay that much for a passage. Or you've done something illegal. Whatever it is I don't wanna know, the price is fair and that's the only thing I need to know." He waved the French through and Alaude quickly entered the ship, carrying Giotto inside the bag.

In about an hour the ship would leave the harbor and Alaude would have succeeded in the most difficult parts. The rest would be easy compared to the last 24 hours and yet Alaude probably wouldn't be able to get any rest after all.


	8. Chapter 7

**So here are some more chapters from my AlaGio FF.**

 **Both of them finally reach a safe place and have some time to talk to each other.**

 **But be sure that there's more than chapter 9 although it might seem like the end already ;)**

* * *

When Giotto woke up it took him a while to realize where he actually was. He was lying on a uncomfortable small bed and was covered with a thin and dirty blanket. His body was aching and he felt slightly numb. He smelled dust and dirt and his head hurt a bit. And yet he slowly got up and looked around, carefully stroking through his messy hair. He immediately felt that there was something weird about it and when he looked at his hand again he noticed it was black. Confused he kept looking at his hand when he heard a well-known voice.

"You're finally awake." Alaude said and approached closer through the half-light of the small cabin. He stopped next to Giotto and sat down next to him. Gently he took his hand.

"Don't worry. It's just coal. But I had to dye your hair. I didn't want anyone to recognize you." He explained and examined the Italian attentively. "How are you feeling?"

Giotto lowly sighed and looked around.

"I am fine. We're on a ship right?" he wondered since he was feeling the wavy movement.

Alaude nodded and let go of Giotto's hand.

"Yes, we're on our way to San Francisco in America. We'll probably arrive the day after tomorrow in the afternoon." Alaude got up again and went over to a small tablet which was standing on a small wooden table. He took it and brought it closer so Giotto noticed some bread, chesse and salt meat and some water.

"I'm sure you hungry. It's not much but at least it's something." The French said and left the tablet close to Giotto who at the same moment felt a pain in his stomach signalizing him how hungry he actually way.

"Thank you, Alaude." He mumbled and started to eat while his head started to work again. He wondered about many things, but he knew that there was only one man who was able to answer all these questions.

"Could you please tell me … how you actually brought me here? I can't remember anything. I only know that I fell asleep."

Alaude examined him thoughtfully and then slowly shook his head.

"Giotto, I'd prefer not to tell you any details about it. I think that'll be better. Please, trust me about that." He answered the man who just slowly nodded while eating. Probably Alaude was right. Since he had lost consciousness he didn't remember anything and maybe the truth would just frighten him.

"However you should probably know that I staged your death. Sawada Ieyasu is no longer. I hope you're not angry at me but I thought it would be the smoothest and safest way." The french went on, awaiting Giotto's reaction on this information. But the man stayed rather calm and just nodded while he was still eating hungrily.

"You're probably right." He said with a low voice and then looked at the other one again. "So we are going to stay in America?"

"Yes, but we won't stay in San Francisco for long. I want to keep on travelling to Boston. I do know some people there who are going to help us for sure." He explained Giotto and got up from the bed again in order to take a look out of the dirty and small window. "So you should better get a good rest until then."

"I'd prefer going outside later on. I'd love to get some fresh air." Giotto said. However he immediately noticed that he had probably asked something wrong since Alaude turned around quickly, giving him a rather dark look.

"No, Giotto. I am really sorry, but you cannot go outside as long as we are on the ship. No one knows you're actually here and I don't want this to change. You will have to wait until we arrive in San Francisco."

Giotto just nodded silently. These words frightened him a little bit. Not because Alaude seemed to be a little bit alarmed and stern, but rather because of the fact that he wasn't allowed to go outside. He had never felt well in narrow places and he already felt uneasy when taking a look around the small cabin. But then again Alaude was with him. The Italian sighed and slowly kept on eating. Everything would be good from now on. He was sure about it.


	9. Chapter 8

It surly was an exhausting travel until they finally reached their destination. When they had to leave the ship Giotto had to get inside the bag again in which Alaude had brought him on the ship. However this time he was fully conscious. It was just thanks to the fact that it was Alaude carrying him from board that Giotto did not totally get scared.

Alaude then brought him into a small rundown building close to the harbor. There he freed him and masked him a little bit more by giving him a hat and glasses. Afterwards they went to the train station were they went on a train to Boston. Alaude had reserved a full wagon just in order to keep people away from Giotto. The train ride took them another two days, but when they arrived in Boston their travel was still not over. They met with a man Alaude obviously knew and who had organized a fully loaded carriage and two more horses. Without much explanation Alaude helped Giotto to get on one of the horses while he took the other one and the third man drove the carriage.

They left town and went on through the actually beautiful landscape until they reached a forest. Giotto sighed. He actually was feeling really tired, hoping they'd reach their destination soon enough, but what irritated Giotto more was how Alaude had behaved during the last few days. On the ship and on the train he hadn't talked much and although Giotto had felt that the man was tensed and uneasy he yet wasn't sure why Alaude was so cool towards him. And right now the French was riding his horse close to the carriage in order to talk to the American while Giotto was following both of them in a little distance.

Not even the beauty of the landscape and the lovely green and bright forest could lift Giotto's mood about that. He hoped that Alaude would finally settle down at their destination, becoming the man again he actually knew.

Caught in these thoughts he watched some squirrels jumping from one branch to another and some bird, chirping in joy. But all this did not brighten his thoughts and not even the warm golden sun, shining through the green leaves could warm his heart until he finally realized someone was close. He shifted his eyes and immediately recognized Alaude who had slowed down his horse in order to ride with him.

"Are you alright? You seem to be tired." Alaude asked with a rather gentle voice, making Giotto finally calm down again. It obviously had been the stress making Alaude that cool and distant. But now he finally started to relax. Giotto was more than just glad.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." He returned, granting the French a small smile. "Will it take much more time?"

Alaude shook his head.

"We're almost there." he added, closely examining the Italian. "I'd like to show you something. We'll take a small detour, but I promise you it won't take much longer than on the normal route." He said and turned his horse towards the forest, giving the man on the carriage a short sign who just nodded in return.

Giotto didn't hesitate for long. He also turned his horse and followed Alaude through the woods. The route took them up a hill and first the forest became more and more thick, but then the trees became looser until they suddenly entered a glade right on top of the hill where just a single old tree was standing.

Giotto's jaw dropped when he saw the amazing view they had from here. The forest was extremely large but it couldn't cover the river which Giotto recognized in the distance. On a glade in between the hill and the river there was a house which already looked beautiful from here. And then on their right there were cliffs and the sea into which the river ended. It was really an amazingly beautiful scenery.

"Is this where we are going to stay?" He wondered with a low voice.

"Yes, we will stay here for the next few months. I thought it would be better like that so you can recover and people really will forget about Sawada Ieyasu. Afterwards it should be safe for you to travel back to Europe. If you actually want, that is." Alaude answered, looking at Giotto in order to see his reaction. "Is this place okay for you?"

"Even if it wasn't it would be okay since you're with me." Giotto said, directly looking at the French. "But, yes, I do really like it. It's beautiful."

Alaude gave him a very short smile; however Giotto noticed it and he felt the warmth inside his heart that he had missed for so long. From now on his life would not only have a meaning again, but it would also be filled with love and joy.

It only took them a couple of minutes to get to the house where they met up with Alaude's acquaintance who had stopped the carriage in front of the house. Alaude stopped his horse next to it and got off in order to speak to the man. Then he turned towards Giotto again.

"If you want you can already go upstairs. I believe you're rather tired, aren't you?" He asked and took the reins of Giotto's horse while the man got off as well.

"Well, yes I am. But shouldn't I help with the luggage?" He wondered, although he actually really felt extremely exhausted. However Alaude shook his head.

"It's fine, Giotto. You can go upstairs and choose for a bedroom. Mister Hickey will help me with the horses and the luggage. Just go and get some rest."

Giotto just nodded silently although he would have loved to gainsay Alaude. After all he knew that the man also hadn't got much sleep during the last few days and he could feel the exhaustion and tension the French actually was feeling. Yet he tried to calm his hyperintuition and just went inside the house which he loved from the very first step that he took inside it.

It was very neat and was covered in a comfortable atmosphere. The windows were rather big so that it was very bright inside the house. From the corridor he noticed a kitchen, a study and a living room. Curiously he took a look around, examining the simple and yet lovable furniture, before he went upstairs. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom. However while examining the bathroom Giotto got quite shocked when he saw his reflection in the large mirror. He was pale and there were dark circles around his eyes. His hair was still dyed black by the coal which made him look even paler. After he had finally accepted his pitiful reflection he started to wonder whether it had just been the travel that had made him look like this or if this actually was because of the years in Japan.

The man sighed and went to the wash bowl which he filled with some water in order to wash his hair and his face. When he felt at least a bit cleaner he went to the bedrooms in order to decide for one. However he didn't have to think that long since one of the bedrooms was not only bigger, but also had a bigger bed and a lovely view past the forest at the sea.

He finally fell on the bed and closed his eyes. The mattress was soft and comfortable and the sheets softly smelled of blossoms. For the first time in years he felt safe and homelike and although he was in an urgent need of talking to Alaude he fell asleep quickly. There would still be time to talk when he'd wake up again.


	10. Chapter 9

When Giotto woke up again it was already dark outside. But what irritated him most was that he was covered with a blanket and that his shoes had been taken off. For a second he couldn't find an explanation for that and was wondering whether he had done it himself before he had fallen asleep, but then he realized that most likely Alaude had looked after him.

The Italian sighed and slowly got up, although he would have liked to stay in the bed for a little longer. But it would be rude not to look after Alaude since the man probably was waiting for him. Additionally Giotto felt hungry.

He was surprised when he saw a new set of clothes on a chair in the bedroom. When he took a closer look at them he realized that they were his size and he was sure that they were meant for him. So he got changed quickly, being rather fond of the soft and clean feeling of the cloth. Messily he left his old clothes on the bedroom's floor, not wanting to let the French wait longer than necessary.

When he left the bedroom he already noticed the smell of food and the soft light that shone upstairs from the first floor. He followed the smell and the light and finally entered the living room in which Alaude was sitting at a table, writing a letter. In front of him a couple of different dishes were placed on the table and Giotto could already feel his mouth watering. He was starving terribly. And that was what actually betrayed him since suddenly his stomach started to growl. At the sound of this Alaude looked up and examined Giotto cautiously.

"You're awake." He stated needlessly. "Did you have a good rest?"

"Yes, thank you." Giotto said silently and sat down next to Alaude. "Did you make all the food?" He wondered and examined the different dishes.

"Yes, I thought you might be hungry once you had a lie-in. I already had something so feel free to take whatever you like. Sorry I didn't wait, but you sure slept long and I was rather hungry a while ago."

Giotto just nodded and gave Alaude a light smile.

"It's alright. I wouldn't have liked the thought of you starving just because I was asleep." He added and started to load his plate. Once Giotto had started to eat he also smiled and happily. He always had liked the food Alaude made and being able to taste it now again actually made him even happier than the fact that the food filled his empty stomach.

"I really like it, thank you." He said in between two bites and then examining the letter in front of Alaude while enjoying the food. "Who are you writing to?"

"It's a letter to Luc. I really should keep him up to date or he will start to worry." The French said. "If you want you can add some pages of your own."

Giotto froze at these words and gave Alaude a rather unsecure almost frightened look.

"I doubt this is a good idea. I believe he might not want to receive anything from me. He seemed to be rather peeved at me." He answered since he still remembered Luc's harsh words in the letter Alaude had brought him.

"Well, it's up to you, but you can trust me, Luc's not a resentful man." He returned and finished his letter. "But you still have time to think of it so no need to decide upon this now."

Giotto nodded silently, looking at his plate thoughtfully. Somehow he had lost his appetite. But of course Alaude noticed the change in Giotto's mood and he stopped writing the letter and instead looking more attentively at the blonde Italian.

"Giotto, I am sure he never was really angry at you at all. Besides I wouldn't let anyone harm you." He said with a rather soft voice and reached for Giotto's hand. However the younger man quickly pulled his hand back and looked at the French with sad and disbelieving eyes.

"Tell me, how can actually believe that? How can you say that he never was angry at me? How can you not be angry at me? You're the one who should be angry the most. You should be furious. I disappointed you so much, you and everybody else. I just left you behind. How can you not hate me?" Giotto teared up while he was talking since all the memories about his last days in Sicily returned at once. Memories about the time he had spent there and about the people he had lived with and of course memories about the time he had been able to spend together with Alaude.

"You just have to hate me. Please at least show some disappointment." Giotto added, trying to hold back the tears.

Alaude just watched him silently for a moment, but then he slowly shook his head.

"Giotto, I never hated you and I never could hate you. When I talked to G after I had returned from Paris I wanted to know what had happened, but he couldn't give me all the details. Yet, I knew that something worse had been going on and I was sure you had a good reason for just leaving. Of course, I was sad and I always kept wondering whether it would have been different if I had been there back then. But I never hated you. How could I when I actually still loved you so much?" The French answered with a soft voice that became more and more lovable while he was talking. And Giotto, who just couldn't believe what he was hearing, wasn't able to hold the tears back any longer and he started to cry.

Alaude looked at him with pain in his eyes. He had always disliked Giotto's tears, because he had felt powerless every time he saw them rolling down his cheeks. But right now he felt totally overstrained. He actually had tried to comfort Giotto by telling him this, but now it seemed like his words had worsened the whole situation.

"Giotto, please, stop crying. I'm saying the truth. I never hated you." He said with a low and unsecure voice, but Giotto just kept crying, looking at Alaude with his big orange eyes.

"How can you never have hated me? I left you behind and I didn't even leave you a message. For six years I didn't even write you a single letter. I even married and got a son. How can you just say you love me?" Giotto was shaking. The whole situation just complete overstrained him. He didn't know what to do and what to think but even when he was making use of his hyperintuition he could feel that Alaude was telling the truth. He had never hated him and he didn't even hate him right now. There was only love.

Meanwhile Alaude slowly got up and came closer to Giotto. He leant down towards him and pulled him in a gentle embrace.

"Just don't leave me again, please." Alaude mumbled lowly, gently stroking Giotto's back in order to calm him down. But this almost seemed to be impossible for the Italian.

"I am so sorry, please forgive me. I was just so scared. I thought I might put you in extreme danger. I was just worried about your safety. I was worried about everyone's safety. But I was such a fool." Giotto said with a hoarse voice, trying to calm himself down again, but Alaude surely didn't make it easy although he of course didn't mean to make it worse for Giotto.

"It's alright. I already forgave you years ago. I know you just did what you thought was best for everyone." He responded soothingly, still stroking the smaller one's back.

"But it wasn't the best for everyone. I only made it worse and I hurt you so much." Giotto went on apologizing to his former Cloud Guardian, but the man suddenly just shut him off by placing a rather gentle kiss on his lips.

For a moment Giotto was confused and irritated and he thought of breaking the kiss again, but then he realized the love and gentleness Alaude was placing in the kiss. It had been ages he had been kissed like that and so he slowly closed his eyes, placed his arms around his lover's neck and just enjoyed the kiss while silent tears kept running down his face. He had made a huge mistake in his past and probably he would never be able to get free of this guilt, but maybe he could try to create a better future for Alaude and him and so he swore to himself that he would stay by the French's side from now on until the very end.


	11. Chapter 10

So I just remembered that it's been some time now that I've uploaded a chapter of the FF.

Here ya go. I hope you'll like it, though there are still some chapters missing~

* * *

Giotto was sitting in the green and fragrant grass right beneath the old tree on top of the hill nearby the house. The sun was shining and beside some small white fluffy clouds the sky was bright blue. It was warm and some butterflies were searching for their way through the air. High above in the branches of the tree he could hear a squirrel cracking some nuts and the birds were chirping and singing with lovely voices.

It was hard to tell with words how much he actually loved this place. The nature was untouched, almost wild and beside the noise of some animals it was silent. There was no one nearby his hyperintuition would actually notice and Alaude had become as calm as he had remembered him during the last couple of month. However Giotto himself had also changed a lot during that time. He had not only calmed down, but he had also started to forgive himself about what had happened six years ago. The location and the landscape and of course Alaude's company were balm for his soul. He also looked much better. His pale skin had darkened lightly and his eyes were shining with joy and happiness. He also had gained some weight and was now just looking healthy again.

Happily he kept looking in the book which he was holding in his hand. He had started to read pretty much since they had arrived here. Alaude actually already had to bring new books for him from town. However since it was difficult to get that many Italian books Alaude sometimes translated the books he brought from town or he just directly read them out to Giotto. Like that the Italian had started to enjoy every single day.

He just turned to the next page when he heard a very familiar sound from the street below and a wide smile appeared on his face. It was the sound of horse shoes that came closer slowly. Giotto quickly closed the book and jumped on his feet, making the squirrel in the branches over him squeak in surprise. But he couldn't care less about the small animal. He took off and almost ran through the soft grass and into the forest. He already knew the trees, lining the small path that lead from the hill towards the street and so he of course arrived there just in time when the tall black horse came trotting down the street, carrying the blonde French on his back.

Giotto lifted his arm and waved at him, receiving a soft smile which he returned with a very wide one. Impatiently he decided not to wait for Alaude to arrive at his side and so he quickly went down the street in order to get to him even faster. When Giotto was finally there Alaude stopped the horse that of course waited well-behaved for his rider to signal him to move on.

"You're back." Giotto said out of breath but with a happy smile on his face.

"Yes, I am back." Alaude answered, granting his lover a short but soft smile. "I hope you enjoyed your day?"

"Yes, it was wonderful. The weather has been so nice these days. I hope it'll stay like that much longer." He responded.

Alaude just nodded and took a quick glance to the blue sky.

"I guess it should stay like that for a couple of more days." His eyes were returning to Giotto, examining the man who had made such a splendid recovery. "I've got something for you."

At these words Giotto's eyes widened in curiosity.

"You did? What is it?" He wondered, looking at Alaude like a little child, making him chuckle lightly.

"I'll show you at the house." He said, taking his foot out of the stirrup and offering Giotto his hand. "Come on I'll give you a ride."

The Italian smiled and of course didn't hesitate a second to take Alaude's hand. He also put one foot in the stirrup and quickly got up on the horse right behind Alaude. Gently he wrapped one arm around the French's waist, still smiling happily while Alaude pushed the horse forward in order to get them both home.

Once they've finally had taken care of the horse, they went inside the house and it obviously was rather hard for Giotto not to bother Alaude too much about what he had brought for him from town. Yet, Giotto didn't want to behave like a mere child and so he waited patiently until Alaude had unpacked the food and the housewares he had bought at town. In the end just a small box remained on the kitchen table and the Italian looked at it curiously.

"Is that it?" He wondered and pointed at the box, making Alaude smile lightly again.

"Yes, it is. Go ahead." The French offered him, keeping an eye on the man in order to see his reaction.

Meanwhile Giotto opened the box, finding sweets and pastries inside that, obviously for Giotto, were from Italy.

"There is an Italian in town now, making some of these. I thought you might like them. I know you at least always did in the past." Alaude said cautiously, hoping for a positive reaction.

However for a moment he thought Giotto didn't like this small surprise since the man kept looking at the sweets and pastries without showing any reaction, but then he looked at Alaude, giving him a smile. It was a true smile also glancing in his eyes and so Alaude knew that he had really made Giotto a delight.

"Thank you so much." The Italian said, taking one of the pastries and quickly eating it up, humming with pleasure. "It tastes lovely. They're really well done." And with that he ate another one, making Alaude smile.

"I'm glad you like them. But you shouldn't eat them all right now or you won't be hungry for diner anymore." He warned his lover, earning caught look.

"Of course, I am sorry." Giotto said, closing the box again in order to keep the sweets and pastries for later on.

"Giotto, I brought you something else as well." Alaude started before Giotto was able to leave the room. He gave the French a puzzled look.

"What is it?" He wondered, but Alaude already took something from his pocket, handing it over to Giotto.

The man took himself a second in order to look at the formal paper he was holding in his hands. It was obviously a passport and there was his photography on it. He also noticed that the language was French.

"Is it a passport?" He wondered, still not sure about it, but Alaude nodded.

"Yes, a French one. Like that you'll be able to return to Europe without any problem any time you want. I thought it might be a good idea and it's also safer in general. You really shouldn't stay here in America without having a passport." He explained the smaller one.

"Yes, I see." He responded, still looking at the paper. "Édouard Dashiell Juste?" He looked at Alaude questioning. "Is that my new name?"

"Well, I had to decide for something though it is just on the paper. You should only make it use for travels anyway. In the end you'll be the one to decide how you want the people to call you." He responded. "You don't like it? I can get it changed."

"Édouard. It's the French version of Eduardo, isn't it? That was my grandfather's name." Giotto asked. Alaude just nodded silently not sure whether Giotto actually liked the decision he had made or not.

"What about Dashiell?" He kept on asking about the name on his passport.

"Well, Dashiell is made up from _de ciel_ which means _from the sky_ and you should know about Juste since it is my real name's last name." He explained hesitatingly while Giotto looked at him with rather big eyes. "You know I'll go back tomorrow and request a new passport from my man. Then you can decide for the name yourself"

He was just about to take back the passport from the Italian when he quickly pulled it back, shaking his head.

"No, I do really love the name. Thank you very much, Alaude." He leant closer to the taller man, giving him a soft kiss in order to thank him for this precious gesture that made him even happier than he had already been. Just like many other days in his life he'd probably never forget this one when Alaude had just given him his own name. It almost felt like they were together now officially.

However this was just one of a few happy memorable days stacking up against a lot more bad ones. Though Giotto was sure that from now on the happy days would outbalance the bad ones. It just had to be like that because from now on he'd finally follow his own desires and with that he wrapped his arms around Alaude's neck in order to pull the tall man closer to him.


	12. Chapter 11

It was late night when Alaude woke up. Right next to him he could feel Giotto's warm body. His breath was calm and relaxed, showing the French that the other man was still deep asleep. Carefully he ran his fingers through the soft hair when he noticed the night sky outside the window. There were no clouds and it probably was new moon.

For a second he hesitated but then he reached for the pocket watch on the bedside table, checking the time. It was only half three. Gently he caressed Giotto's check and leaned a little closer.

"Giotto, wake up. There's something I'd like to show you." He said with a soft voice only gaining a soft moan. It didn't seem like the Italian wanted to wake up that early, but Alaude didn't give up, still caressing his cheek.

"Giotto, please. You won't regret it."

Again the younger man sighed lowly, but he at least opened his eyes, looking at Alaude rather sleepy.

"What's wrong, Alaude? Did something happen?" He wondered, cuddling a little bit closer to the warm body of his lover.

"Everything is fine, but I'd love to show you something." He repeated and slowly got up, leaving a rather puzzled Giotto in the bed.

Quickly the tall man got dressed and then looked at the Italian again he obviously didn't want to get up so Alaude gave him a light smile.

"Please, Giotto. I'm sure you'll be glad to see that." He said and took Giotto's clothes, offering them to him.

With a low sigh the man finally got up.

"What is it you want to show me? It must be rather early." He wondered while he got dressed, but Alaude just shook his head.

"You will see soon enough." He responded while he took some blankets from the closet, waiting for Giotto to be ready.

Once he was also dressed he took him outside and through the forest. It was rather chilly and dark, but nevertheless Giotto immediately knew where they were going. He took this way almost every day since he loved the view from the little hill nearby though he couldn't understand why Alaude went there now. After all it was dark and there probably was nothing to see anyway.

When they finally had reached the top of the little hill Alaude stopped right beneath the old tree, spreading one of the blankets in the moist grass. He sat down and wrapped the other blankets around himself, looking at Giotto and then offering him one hand in order to invite him to come closer.

Giotto gave him a puzzled look, but he didn't hesitate to come closer and once he sat down next to Alaude the French wrapped his arms and the blanket around Giotto and pulled him in front of him, cuddling him from behind.

Giotto blinked in surprise and looked at Alaude over his shoulder though he had to admit that he really liked sitting right in front of the taller man. It was warm and comfy and so he cuddled a little bit closer.

"So what did you want to show me?" He wondered still looking at the French behind him.

"Well, it's right above us." Alaude returned, pointing in the night sky and when Giotto followed the direction with his eyes he couldn't do anything but being astonished by the beautiful view.

The sky was full of stars, blinking and shining like diamonds and he felt lightly ashamed that he hadn't noticed the beautiful view earlier.

"Alaude that is beautiful. It's amazing." He said not being able to turn away his eyes from the scenery.

"Isn't it? I thought you might like it. Such a starry sky is really rare so I just had to wake you up. Something like that can only be seen once in a life time. You should enjoy it."

"I'm doing nothing else but enjoying it." Giotto lowly whispered as if a loud voice would destroy the beauty. And Alaude was right. He had never seen such a clear night sky covered with such bright shining stars.

Overly happy he leant closer to Alaude, also enjoying the warmth and his lovable scent when he suddenly noticed a bright star in the sky which was flying through the air, pulling a bright tail behind it.

"Alaude, look, it's a shooting star." Giotto said happily, pointing at it although the French of course had already noticed the phenomenon himself.

"You know they say you'll be granted a wish when you see a shooting star." He said with a soft voice, gently caressing the other who just kept smiling happily.

"I guess the shooting star must have known my wish all along then, because there is nothing else I need right now. My one and only wish has already been granted." He said with an enamored voice, conjuring a soft smile on Alaude's lips.

"In that case I'll make a wish instead." He said gently, intensifying his embrace.

"What is it you wish for?" Giotto immediately wondered, lightly glancing over his shoulder at the French.

"I wish for you to stay with me forever." Alaude responded, still gently stroking the other man who hesitated with his answer for a second.

"There's no need for you to wish for that." He finally said. "Your wish had already been granted when you took me from Japan."

And with that he gave Alaude a gentle kiss, enjoying this intimate moment he shared with his lover under the beautiful starry sky.

They stayed there for hours until it started to get brighter and some stars already disappeared. Giotto yawned, being glad about the warmth of Alaude's body since it suddenly started to get even colder.

"Maybe we should return to the house?" He wondered, feeling really sleepy since he had been up almost all night. However Alaude shook his head and placed a gentle kiss on Giotto's messy hair.

"Please let us wait for another moment. You really shouldn't miss the sun set after we've been able to enjoy such a beautiful night sky." He said, pulling Giotto a bit closer since he could feel the man trembling of cold.

"You want to watch the sunrise? Will it even rise right in front of us?" Giotto wondered, keeping his eyes on the cliffs and the sea in some distance.

"Yes, it will. That's pretty much east right in front of us. Believe me it will be a fantastic view from here." Alaude promised him and so Giotto lightly nodded. To be honest he had seen multiple of sunsets, but never a sunrise. He wasn't sure whether there was difference, but since he felt really comfortable and safe in Alaude's arms he couldn't find a reason why they shouldn't stay a little while longer and he surely didn't regret it at all.

While the sky behind them was still dark it turned brighter in front of them. First it was just a light blue, but then more and more colors appeared. First there was a light orange which became darker before it started to be golden with a touch of ruby red.

And with the changing color it also started to become warmer and warmer until suddenly the burning golden circle appeared at the horizon, rising up in the sky and covering everything with a warm golden light. However the changing colors did not only appear in the sky but were also reflected by the sea, creating an even more colorful and spectacular scenery.

However what Giotto liked most was the fact that it became warmer and warmer while the sun rose up in the sky, banning everything dark around it. Once the colors had disappeared, only leaving a lovely blue sky, Giotto closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth on his skin and of course also Alaude's closeness who still kept caressing him with his also warm hands.

"Thank you, Alaude. I really enjoyed this." He said with a soft voice, smiling lightly.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it." The man responded, placing a soft kiss on Giotto's temple. "Though, maybe, we should return now. You seem to be tired."

Giotto nodded softly and opened his eyes again.

"Yes, I'd really like to get some more sleep." He said, hesitating for a second. "Are you going to get some more sleep as well?"

"Well, I am not overly tired. Maybe I'll take care of some housework."

Giotto gave a rather sad look when he heard these words. He knew that Alaude never slept that long, but he would have loved to return to bed together with him. It was always much warmer and more comfortable when Alaude was there as well and of course he also really enjoyed his lover's presence.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a low voice, cuddling a bit closer to the other one's chest.

Alaude hesitated for a second with his answer, looking at Giotto lightly puzzled before he understood what the Italian was after. Surprisingly he gave a low chuckle and smiled gently.

"Didn't you just say before that there aren't any wishes left?" He wondered still smiling.

Giotto just turned bright red, covering himself a little more with the blanket.

"Maybe I've changed my mind?" He finally said with a low voice.

"Well, I guess I should be able to grant you this little wish."

"Are you serious?" Giotto wondered, glancing at the other over his shoulder in surprise.

Alaude just kept smiling while he lightly nodded.

"Come on, let's go home."

Giotto nodded and quickly got up, while the other one took the blankets and then the Italian's hand. Happily Giotto followed him down the hill and through the forest in order to get home where they went back to bed and cuddled together. And while Giotto got some more sleep Alaude caressed his lover gently, watching over his sleep and staying by his side.


	13. Chapter 12

The train stopped with squeaking wheels at the station. The blonde Italian took a look outside and immediately recognized the station. It was as if he had never been away. Nothing had changed at the main station in Paris or at least that was his first thought. Somehow he felt extremely nervous over returning back to Europe and although he wouldn't dare to take a step back at Italy he still felt a little unsecure.

But then he felt the strong hand of his lover on his shoulder and he took a deep breath.

"Are you alright?" Alaude wondered, watching the smaller one cautiously. He had been extremely quiet the last couple of hours. Of course he must be tired since their travel from Boston to Paris had taken quite some time, but yet Giotto always had liked to ask questions about everything that would come to his mind. Nevertheless he had turned quite as soon as the train had left for its destination.

"Sorry, please don't worry about me. I'm fine. It's just that I'm a little nervous. I've been gone for so long and I guess much has changed during the last few years." He explained and turned towards the tall blonde.

"I see." He replied and gently ran his fingers through the blonde messy hair. "There's not need to worry. Everything will be fine."

Giotto gave him a small smile in return and then took his luggage while Alaude took his own. Without any more words they left the train and went outside the station in order to catch a cap.

Actually the reason why Giotto was so extremely nervous was much more complicated than that. More likely he was scared. He was scared to meet Alaude's deputy and adoptive father, Luc Barre. When thinking of the letter he had been getting from Luc he felt the chills running down his spine. Surely Luc had been extremely mad at him for leaving without telling anything and the man was right to be angry with him. And yet Giotto was such a peaceful man that even thinking of an argument made him feel sick.

The Italian gave a low sigh when the cap finally stopped in front of the building which he had been visiting for so many times already. However from now on it would be his home. Somehow this thought made him feel a little bit better and he gathered all his courage and left the cab together with his former Cloud Guardian.

They both didn't even have the chance to reach the door when it already was opened, revealing just the man Giotto had been so frightened of. Luc Barre hadn't changed a bit. He still seemed to be full of energy and happiness and yet Giotto already could feel the skepticism that was hidden behind this joy.

"Alaude, vous êtes habitué à dos." He said, giving his adoptive son a really gentle smile. However just the reason the man was talking in French confirmed Giotto's fear. He probably was still mad at him.

"Yes, we were able to catch an earlier train." Alaude answered and entered the house. Once they both were inside Luc closed the door again and at the same moment a small boy came running from the living room. Giotto had to take a second look since he had never met a small boy at Alaude's place before. But then he noticed the similarities between Luc and the small boy and it was for sure that this little boy had to be Luc's son.

"Alaude, bienvenue!" He said cheerfully and surprisingly ran towards the tall French who even gave the boy a small smile in return.

"Bonjour, Hugo." He said and hunkered down in order to be at the same height as the small boy. "Tu étais bon?" The small boy nodded and then looked at Giotto still smiling.

"Vous êtes l'ami d'Alaude, n'est-ce pas?" He said and offered Giotto his hand in order to greet him properly. Impressed Giotto took the small hand.

"Oui, Hugo. C'est Giotto." Luc meanwhile said and then for the first time turned towards the blonde Italian.

"This is my son Hugo." He introduced the young boy who already had turned towards Alaude again probably asking him a ton of different questions.

"Alaude, would you mind taking care of him for a little while. I'd like to speak with Giotto for a moment." Luc finally asked, making Giotto stiffen up. Of course he had somewhat been prepared for this, but however he had thought Luc wouldn't want to talk to him before tomorrow. He had to be a lot angrier at him than he had actually thought.

Giotto quickly glanced at Alaude who still was rather calm. A little bit he was hoping for him to reject the request, but then his lover slowly nodded.

"Sure, but Luc, you remember our last talk?" He said with a clear voice, shifting his eyes between his adoptive father and his lover.

Luc just nodded and turned towards the Italian again.

"I hope that's fine for you." He wondered and yet Giotto knew that it was not a question and so he just nodded, leaving his luggage with Alaude and the small boy who eagerly tried to help carrying some of the bags upstairs.

Luc led him to the living room, closing the door right behind them.

"I got some tea ready, so please feel free to take some." He said, pointing to the small tablet on the couch table while seating himself.

However Giotto still remained standing, watching Luc with a rather frightened look. Although he had pretended to be ready for this conversation he surely wasn't at all.

"Hugo is really well mannered. How old is he?" He asked, hoping to conciliate the other one by first starting some small talk. However Luc just sighed and waved aside.

"Giotto, please take a seat first." He said and of course Giotto followed this instruction immediately. According to his hyperintuition Luc didn't seem to be too upset, but he was sure that this had to be wrong. And there still was this skepticism covering the other man.

"Hugo is around seven, now. He was born right after you left Italy." He finally responded to Giotto's question and at the same time already opening up the actual matter. Feeling ashamed Giotto looked aside, trying to calm down his feelings.

"Luc, please listen. I am truly sorry for what has happened, but I honestly regret it." He quickly said, forcing himself to look at Luc again. "I understand if you hate me now."

Surprisingly Luc slowly shook his head.

"You see, Giotto, I was really surprised when I received your letter and somehow it really made me angry, too, but the main reason I was so upset was what happened to Alaude afterwards." He answered, giving the Italian a rather harsh look. "He was in such a bad condition and to be honest, Giotto, I even feared for his life in the end."

Giotto winced as if he just had been beaten with a stick. There already had been hints in Luc's letter, but he never would have thought the situation had been that bad and although he probably hadn't been in a better condition he surely was able to understand Luc's reason for being so angry.

"I am so sorry. It never had been my intention to hurt someone." Giotto responded with a low voice. "In fact I tried to protect him." The blonde Italian finally looked up again. He was hardly trying to fight back the tears. "But I promise to you that I'll never leave him again. I recognized my mistake and I truly apologize for it. I will never make such a mistake again."

Now something happened, Giotto hadn't expected at all. Luc was smiling and he even reached out in order to gently touch Giotto's shoulder.

"He has already told me that, Giotto." He explained. "But you see I thought it would be much better to hear you saying this."

Giotto looked at him in disbelief. It just couldn't be that Luc forgave him that quickly. And yet he couldn't feel any bad emotions dwelling from the French.

"You mean you do not hate me?" Giotto finally wondered not knowing how he should deal with this situation anymore. He had been so sure that Luc's attitude towards him had changed negatively and yet the man seemed to as cheerful as always.

"Well as I said I honestly was mad at you in the beginning, but I guess there was enough time to forgive you. And Alaude kept writing me from America. I quickly realized how well the two of you had to be so I thought that it is all good now."

Giotto looked at him in disbelief. He just didn't deserve this at all. He had been acting so selfish and now not even one person seemed to be angry with him. He turned away, trying to calm himself down again when he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder.

"Giotto, are you alright?" Luc wondered, examining the other one warily.

"I am not sure." He answered, irritated running his hand through his fluffy hair.

"You know you shouldn't be too hard to yourself. Because after all that had happened you not only made the right but also the best decision possible. At least that's what I think. The two of you deserve some calm and easy years. It has been quite rough from the very beginning." Luc responded, gently smiling at the younger Italian. "Just do not leave again, even if Alaude starts bothering you. You should then rather come to me. I'll make sure to give him a piece of his mind then."

"I doubt this is going to happen." Giotto answered calmly, making Luc chuckle.

"You always say this if I come up with Alaude's peculiarity. I think you're the only one who's just fine with him the way he is. That's good for him."

"No, it's rather good for me." Giotto said lowly, finally taking a sip from the cup.

"Well, whatever you say. But I think you should hurry up now and get upstairs. I bet Alaude is happy when someone will help him packing his stuff."

"Packing his stuff?" Giotto wondered, now looking at Luc rather puzzled. "Is he going on a trip?"

"I see, he didn't tell you." Luc said, now laughing louder than before. "Well, let me say that he indeed is going on a trip. But you'll go with him. Just go upstairs and ask him for yourself." Luc winked at him and then emptied his tea.

Still confused Giotto slowly got up, when Luc suddenly held him back.

"Ah, Giotto, please send Hugo downstairs. He probably won't like that, but I bet he's already bothering Alaude. The boy is just way too fond of him." Luc requested of him, now finally making Giotto smile lightly.

"Well, he is his big brother after all, isn't he?"

Luc started to laugh and slowly nodded, letting go of Giotto who now quickly left the room in order to ask Alaude about their upcoming trip.

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So I hope you liked the FF so far. There will still be one more chapter and the epilogue of course.

I also hope that the short parts of French I added are more or less correct. It's been ages since I've created a sentence in French so I guess they might not be correct. Sorry for that.


	14. Chapter 13

So below you will find the last chapter of my FF and of course I've also uplaoded the epilogue.

I hope you'll like the end and of course I also hope you liked the whole FF.

If that is so please let me now.

I might upload some other FFs some time, but first I have to think of something new ;-)

Take care everyone!

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When Giotto entered the room he immediately noticed the blonde man and the small boy. Alaude hunkered right in front of Hugo, showing him a wooden carving. It seemed to be a bear and while Alaude was speaking Hugo was giving him an almost fascinating look. It wasn't hard to see that the small boy seemed to admire Alaude a lot.

"Il toi appartient." Alaude said finally handing the figure over to the boy who started to beam with joy.

"Pour de bon? Merci, Alaude." The boy said, still smiling and quickly pressing the wooden bear to his chest.

Meanwhile Alaude had noticed Giotto and Giotto was sure that there was a little hint of a smile in the actually always restrained face.

"Allez maintenant à toi père." The blonde French said and straightened up again. Hugo just nodded and quickly left the room, making sure to also give Giotto a soft and happy smile when he went past him.

Giotto couldn't resist smiling too, before he fully entered the room and then closed the door behind him.

"He really likes you." The Italian marked, watching his lover attentively.

"Luc says the same." Alaude responded and sighed. "Strange enough he really is something like a little brother to me. Probably because he behaves the way I am his big brother."

"I think it suits you."

"It suits me?"

"Being a big brother. It somehow suits you." Giotto was still smiling. Although Alaude seemed to be cold and unobtainable he sure had his soft moments. But he only revealed them to those he really trusted. Until now this always had just included Luc and himself, but it seemed like Hugo had captured the French's heart as well.

"Sometimes I'm not sure about this. But we'll see." The blonde simply said, turning towards the suitcases again.

"There's no need to unpack our luggage. We'll only stay for tonight." He explained and took a quick look around. "Actually we'll have even more luggage by tomorrow. I'll have to take more with me."

"Yes, Luc mentioned something like that. Are we going on another trip, Alaude?" He wondered and tilted his head. This sure was strange since Alaude never had said anything about another trip.

"Yes, indeed. Our destination is not that far away though. You'll see tomorrow." And with that Alaude didn't say more about their last destination and although Giotto almost died of curiosity he tried to calm himself down. Instead making use of the time they had in order to rest properly and he surely slept well since it felt as if he finally was home again.

The next morning they left rather early. To Giotto's surprise there was a carriage waiting in front of the house which was fully loaded with suitcases and wooden boxes. Even if their destination wasn't far it seemed as if they would spent quite some time there.

However there was something else he immediately noticed, because he recognized the two horses. The one pulling the carriage was Alaude's horse, but the one tightened to the carriage at the end was a bigger surprise to him.

"That's Lunaire?" He said, approaching the small mare that lifted its head once it had noticed the Italian. It made a soft gentle sound and stretched its nose so it could touch the man's hand. Giotto gently stroked the soft fur of his mare. She still seemed to remember him. "How comes she's in Paris?"

Alaude, who was still preparing the carriage, hesitated for a second before he finally answered. "Well, I brought her here half a year after you've left. I just couldn't leave both of them in Italy."

Giotto just silently nodded. It hurt to remember the past, but probably he would better get used to it since it just wasn't possible to forget everything from back then.

"Thank you, Alaude." Giotto finally said, still stroking the gentle mare. "Did you bring Giacomo, too?" He wondered with a low voice, making Alaude hesitated for another time.

"I sure did, but Giotto, he died before I left to come for you. After all it has been a long time." He said, coming closer and gently placing a hand on the Italian's shoulder. "I am sorry. But believe me he surely had a good life her. I didn't keep him in town, but brought him to a friend in the countryside. Giacomo always played with his children until he became too old."

"It's okay. I sometimes try to forget for how long I've been gone. Thank you, Alaude." The blonde turned towards his lover, giving him a rather sad smile. When noticing this Alaude lifted his hand and gently stroked the smaller man's cheek.

"Wait until we arrive at our place. Everything we'll be fine there."

"Our place?" Giotto immediately wondered since this was the first time Alaude was talking a bit more precisely about their destination. However the blonde French just smiled slightly.

"You'll see. Just let yourself be surprised." He answered and finally got on the carriage, beckoning Giotto over to his side.


	15. Epilogue

About two hours later they finally seemed to be there. At least Alaude stopped the carriage right in front of a lovely cottage. It was rather isolated from the street they had taken from Paris and Giotto immediately noticed the small vineyard and the garden. It actually looked like an idyllic place.

"Is that the place?" He wondered, hoping not to misinterpret their stop.

However Alaude nodded and got off the carriage.

"Yes, this is our new place to be." He responded, pulling a key from an inner pocket of his trench coat. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Giotto blinked in surprise, again examining the cottage.

"Are you serious?" He said, also getting off the carriage.

"Yes, I am. Don't you like it?" Alaude asked, already fearing Giotto wouldn't like their new home, but in fact the small Italian was bowled over by the place. Never would he have dreamt of being allowed to live in a place like this. When Alaude had taken him from japan and finally to Paris he had been sure they would stay in Alaude's house in the city. And now he had brought them both to the countryside and offered him a cottage in the wild where everything was not only silent and stress-free, but also amazingly beautiful.

"You can't be serious." Giotto mumbled, still looking at the cottage in disbelief. "Why should we stay here when your house is located in Paris?"

"Well, it's because I bought the cottage? I thought you might prefer to stay in the countryside, but when you wish to return to Paris we will head back immediately." Alaude felt unconfident. It had always been hard for him to read Giotto's mind and now again it more seemed like the man was averse to stay in a place like that although he always had kept telling his lover how much he preferred to live in the countryside. The time they had spent in America just had made Alaude feel more sure about this since Giotto had seemed to like the place they had stayed. However he now seemed to question everything.

"No!" Giotto said immediately, making Alaude quiver in surprise. "This place is a dream. I would have never imagined we could stay in a place like that. Just the thought of you really buying a house for the both of us…" Giotto stopped talking, making a soft but overstrained voice. "I don't know what to say but thank you. And that's not enough at all."

He looked at Alaude, happy and yet worried. Even after this long time his lover still cared for him more than he deserved. He never would be able to return this debt.

"You don't have to thank me Giotto. Maybe we should first take a look inside anyway. Come on." He gave Giotto a small smile, calming himself down again since it seemed like the Italian really loved this place. So it actually was like he had hoped.

Together they took the small path towards the front door, which Alaude quickly unlocked. Giotto quickly noticed the bright painted furniture inside the house which reminded him of his old room back in Sicily. He always had loved the furniture there.

Curious he went on the hallway, noticing a living room on the right side whereas on the left there was a dining room. Probably the kitchen was right behind. The Italian decided to take a closer look at the living room which was rather big and really bright because of the large windows. One of it was obviously a French window which could be opened and let to the backside of the house where a huge garden could be seen. In the living room there was a fireplace and really comfortable looking couch.

"Alaude, this looks amazing." He said and went closer to the French window in order to take a better look outside. Compared to the house the garden looked wild. There was a lot of lavender growing and some feet away the vineyard started. Although nobody had taken care of the garden yet, Giotto still loved it. He actually really hoped he would be allowed to take care of it.

"Come, I'd like to show you the upper floor." Alaude said, taking Giotto's hand and leading him upstairs.

"But there are still two doors left." Giotto wondered, eying the doors which were still on the lower floor.

"One of them leads to the basement and will take a look at the other one afterwards." Alaude simply returned. "First I'd like to show you our room."

He led his lover through the corridor to the last door on the right side. He opened it and pulled Giotto inside who gasped in surprise. It was a large room and very bright and the large window revealed a beautiful view on the vineyard and the garden.

"This is unbelievable, Alaude. I love it so much." The Italian said while taking a look around. However at the same time a rather bad conscience started to bother him. He was sure he didn't deserve this at all. Not after he had left the Vongola and mainly Alaude and yet the man was bathing him in love and made him one gift after another.

"There's also a guest room in case Luc and Élaine would like to come for a visit. And of course there's a bathroom and a study for myself." The French explained while showing Giotto around the house. Amazed by the whole thing Giotto examined every room until they finally went downstairs again.

"Now I'll show you the last room. I hope you'll like it as much as I do." The tall blonde opened the door revealing a huge library. However the shelves weren't filled with books yet. Instead the floor was covered with boxes.

"It's a library?" Giotto wondered not quite sure why this room was so important and special.

"Indeed. There was no time to unpack the stud so far, although I actually prefer to do it myself anyway." Alaude responded, while opening one of the wooden boxes, revealing the content to Giotto.

For another time this day Giotto gasped in surprise. The content of course was books, but these books weren't just any random books. They were his grandfather's belongings. He immediately recognized them although he never had had that much interest into books.

Carefully he took one of them from the box, opening the first page. There was his grandfather's seal, marking this book as one of his.

"How did you get them here?" Giotto wondered with a silent voice. It was hard to hold back the tears. This meant much more to him than seeing his own horse or realizing Alaude had bought a complete property for the both of them.

"I took them from the mansion in Sicily once you had left. First I brought them to a friend of mine in Palermo and afterwards I shipped them to Paris. Luc brought them here for me. I thought you might be happy to at least get back your grandfather's belongings." Alaude explained with a soft voice, now taking a smaller box and offering it to Giotto. "I also brought some of your personal stuff. I just couldn't leave it all behind. Although I have to admit that I have never looked at it since then."

Giotto hesitated for a moment before he put back the book inside the box and instead taking the smaller box from Alaude. Nervously he opened it and would have almost dropped it. There really were a lot of his personal belongings inside like pictures from his grandparents, some old note books and other remembrances. But he noticed immediately was a small pendant. He quickly took it from the box and opened it. There was a picture inside, showing the man who was just standing in front of him at this very moment. At the sight of this Giotto remembered how often he had looked at it while Alaude had been gone somewhere else on a mission. Every time he had missed the man this was the only thing that could calm him down aside of the small music box which he also found inside the box. He remembered the day when he had left Sicily and how he had been thinking about taking those things with him. But in the end he had left them behind just like he had left behind the man he loved. However he had feared, being reminded of Alaude way too often when taking these remembrances with him and he knew it would have killed him to think of the French too often. It had already been hard enough like this.

"Alaude, I am so grateful you brought me back these things." Giotto said with a hoarse voice. He had to put the box away since his hands were shaking too heavily and when he looked at Alaude the French noticed the tears in the blonde's eyes. Quickly he pulled the smaller man in a gentle embrace.

"No need to thank me, Giotto. And there's also no need to cry. Everything will be fine from now on. Nothing and no one will ever harm you again."

"But how can you do that much for me when I do not deserve it all." Giotto whispered.

"Stop saying you don't deserve this Giotto. This is just a bit of what you actually deserve and even if not it's not about deserving something. You're back and that's all that counts." The French said, gently stroking Giotto's messy hair. Meanwhile Giotto was drying his tears at Alaude's purplish grey shirt.

"I promise I will return my debt one day." The Italian said with a low voice. "And as long as you wish me to I'll stay by your side."

"In that case you'll have to stay forever."

"I guess that's just fair enough." Giotto responded, cuddling closer and enjoying Alaude's well-known scent which he loved so much.

"Good. So I beg for another promise, Giotto." Alaude said, gently lifting Giotto's chin. The man was looking at him questioning, but willing to do anything he was asked for. "No more tears, please. It doesn't suit you at all."

Giotto hesitated for a second but then he nodded and as a respond he was pulled into a soft and loving kiss.


End file.
